FOOD, a Chicago Sustainability Series Season II Dialogue held on June 26th, 2020 with Thomas Jonas, Co-Founder + CEO of Nature's Fynd. Nature's Fynd is an innovative Chicago-based firm innovating the food space with products harvested from the Fy microbe protein, originally sourced from Yellowstone National Park geysers. The Fy protein requires 99% less land, and 87% less water than traditional beef production to become a range of foods from breakfast to dinner, with 9 essential amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. *This Dialogue was conducted over Zoom, in recognition of the importance of safety and social distancing in the pandemic. * In their own words, "Everything we do at Nature’s Fynd is driven by curiosity. It’s what led us to explore the springs of Yellowstone’s ancient volcano for NASA-supported research on extreme ecosystems. That’s how we discovered a remarkable, protein-rich microorganism.Using the microorganism, we developed a breakthrough fermentation technology to create Fy (“fai”), a highly nutritious source of animal-free protein with all 9 essential amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and fiber." *Thomas discussed how he came to the alternative protein space, the range of their products (diary, meat substitutes, dessert, and more), the poetry of developing a new protein that uses a fraction of the resources of standard protein production in the same space as Chicago's Union Stock Yards, the challenges and opportunities of the pandemic, their funding journey, and what is next. * *Learn more about The Chicago Sustainability Series at SustainTheChi.com, and more about Nature's Fynd at https://www.naturesfynd.com/. * The Chicago Sustainability Series was founded in 2015 to explore the intersections of sustainability, inclusion, representation, and equity. Listen to our full catalogue at sustainthechi.substack.com, and learn how you can get involved in future dialogues, recommend a speaker, partner for impact and activations, become a sponsor, and more at sustainthechi.com.
